ST. LOUIS -- The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences announced today the pairings for the 2018 Challenge Series between the two conferences. All 10 games will take place in a five-day span in late November/early December.
Indiana State will travel to San Jose State on Wednesday, November 28 as part of the upcoming season's schedule. This will mark the Sycamores' first trip to the Golden State since November 9, 2012 when Indiana State traveled to UCLA to play in the first game played at newly renovated Pauley Pavilion.
The Sycamores have met the Spartans just once previously with that matchup happening on March 11, 1948 as Indiana State won 59-52 in the quarterfinals of the NAIB National Tournament. The game was played in Kansas City, Mo., as the Sycamores advanced all the way the national championship game before falling to Louisville in the final. That Sycamore team was coached by John Wooden, who would coach just two more games at ISU before continuing his legendary career in the state of California at UCLA.
The Sycamores are tied with Northern Iowa at 4-3 for the best record in the challenge series among the current league membership. Additionally, the Sycamores have won three challenge series matchups in a row -- the longest current streak of success in the league.
Previously announced, the Sycamores will travel to Honolulu Hawaii for a return trip to the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Classic from December 22-25.
The 2018 Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge slate will feature three NCAA tournament teams from last season (Loyola Chicago, Nevada and San Diego State) and a rematch of the thrilling Sweet 16 game between Nevada and Loyola Chicago.
In 2017, for the second consecutive season, the Mountain West and Missouri Valley split the 10-game series, 5-5. The MWC has an all-time series edge of 3-1-3 in seven previous Challenge seasons, including an overall advantage of 38-27 in games played in association with the series. The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season. The 2018 edition of the Challenge Series is the eighth.
Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series are based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based upon composite sources. Each season is considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year's Challenge Series may not be returned.
Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team's conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times.
